Last week I was on a mission to murder some bugs. It wasn’t intentional but driving through a National Park near sunset in Summer you tend to cover your windscreen with insect guts. It’s not a pretty sight and I suspect the bugs don’t enjoy it. One bug was so big it made a cracking noise as if a sizable stone had hit my windscreen and broken it. Riding a bike with an open face helmet, as most too cool for school hog riders do, would not be a fun experience. Next time you see one with a scar on his face ask him if it was from an oversized bug slicing his cheeks. On second thought don’t ask. The answer might not be good for your health.
As I was enjoying my trip home in my convertible car a common house fly gingerly made its way into my cabin. Protected by the windscreen it buzzed around the top of the dash as they do. Entering a 100km/h zone I picked up speed and not a moment later the fly exited my car. I can only imagine what its little brain must have thought as it left the calm air of my cabin and was hit by the wind at 100km/h travelling 14 times faster than it ever has in its life. I bet it had the time of its life. I bet this fly knew what it was doing. It waited for me to get to the 100km/h zone to launch itself to warp speed. It then flew back grinning all the way to the 60km/h zone and waited patiently for another convertible. This fly was at a theme park taking rides. Cheeky bugger.
A common house fly has an average top speed of a little over 7km/h. A far cry from my little adrenaline junky friend that hitched a ride. They can beat their wings up to 300 times a second which equates to 18,000 rpm in car engine terms. That’s comparable to an F1 engine!